Figure 2.

In vitro dexamethasone binding to glucocorticoid receptor (GR) from the liver of female rats subjected to a fructose-rich diet. Groups: control (C), fructose-fed (F). To measure dexamethasone binding to GR, aliquots of cytosols were incubated (18 h, 0 C) with increasing concentrations of [³H]dexamethasone (1–80 nM) in the presence and absence of 100-fold molar excess of unlabeled dexamethasone. Unbound [³H]dexamethasone was removed by dextran-charcoal. The saturation curves (a) were fitted to determine (b) the number of receptor binding sites (B_max) and (c) equilibrium dissociation constant (K_d). Relative binding potential (d) was calculated as the B_max/K_d ratio. The values represent the mean ± SEM (n = 9). All measurements were done in triplicate. Statistical significance of differences between experimental groups: * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01.